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The reason was simple.

Even if she married such a prominent aristocrat, wouldn’t the hardship she suffered only be added onto?

Of course, Sir Jenkins was right.

But he insisted on her, and she insisted on him.

Did their combined effort pay off?

The strong opposition had indeed gradually crumbled.

“My daughter loves you, so I will do my best to like the Duke.”

And they were married at long last.

At the wedding, his wife smiled and said,

“To overcome so much opposition, doesn’t it feel like you’ve become the main character in a novel?”

The cheerful words were so cute, he couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her.

How many times had he thought back to that moment?

If, as she had said, they were the main characters in a novel, that moment should have been the last chapter.

It was just the right moment to end with a so they lived happily ever after.

But life wasn’t a novel. It was just a period of survival.

The Duke recalled the memory of that terrible moment, where he could barely breathe.

News from the Duchy.

Those who stopped him from running to her right away.

A pitch black news of death.

A funeral without even a body.

At the funeral, Sir Jenkins had grabbed the Duke by the collar.

The emperor was there, but no one could stop a father who lost his daughter.

“You killed her! You and your estate killed my beautiful daughter!”

No one said that his anger was justified. Nor did anyone say it was unfair.

There was only a somber silence

At first, everyone had been against their marriage.

If the Duke had given up on her a little earlier . . .

If she had married another young man . . .

There may not have been a funeral that day.

The Duke had sent letters or gifts to Sir Jenkins several times after the funeral.

He had no intention of begging for forgiveness with pretentious words.

He deserved to be cursed forever.

Of course, there was no reply to those letters.

Although they often met each other at large banquets, Sir Jenkins had always completely ignored the Duke’s existence.

“Duke, will you wait any longer?”

The butler’s tone was cautious as he voiced his inquiry.

“. . . I don’t know.”

The Duke pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time, smiling bitterly.

In fact, he had sent an invitation to Sir Jenkins not too long ago.

After completing the portrait of the Duchess, he would take the time to welcome her picture.

I hope you will join us.

It was about Sir Jenkins’s beloved daughter. The Duke had hoped to hear back.

But there was only silence.

“. . . What of the expenses?”

“I left it loose, as you had instructed.”

“I hope it is of use.”

The Duke gently stroked the face of the woman in the picture.

The nostalgia tinging that movement was so obvious. So heartbreaking.

* * *

Rieta awoke from her sleep. Her body was soaked in sweat.

Both the duvet and pillows were damp.

Still, her body was much refreshed. Maybe it was because her fever had gone down.

When she turned to look out the window, it was snowing again.

Rieta grabbed her doll and walked toward the window.

The moonlight greeted her eyes and the garden was shining white.

“. . . Wow.”

Pretty. Even with such a romantic scene, the only thing Noel would have appreciated was the large amount of snowman material.

“Pfft.”

Thinking about Noel made her laugh again.

Upon the news that she had caught a cold, he had clung to Rieta’s bedside and looked as though he were about to cry.

“I, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you’re sick . . . Hey, are you okay? Your forehead . . . It’s hot . . . Sorry . . .”

He had no reason to be so sorry. It hadn’t really been Noel’s fault.

Growl.

At that moment, a sound came from Rieta’s stomach, alerting her hunger.

Perhaps it was because she had never been hungry, but she was glad to hear it after a long time.

“Hunger and pain cannot be tolerated.”

Rieta followed the Duke’s advice and carefully opened the door.

One of the maids was sitting in front of her door, dozing off.

Perhaps because she had been so worried about the sick Rieta, she left the maid to her sleep.

Rieta crept past her so she wouldn’t wake her up.

The Duchy was very quiet.

She may have been mistaken, but she thought that it was a little quieter than usual.

It’s really empty.

Feeling somewhat reluctant to break this silence, Rieta carefully descended to the first floor.

There, she noticed that the door to the family room was slightly open.

“. . . ?”

Was someone there?

A dark shadow flickered through the gap in the narrow door.

Was it the Duke?

Rieta approached and cautiously opened the door.

In the slightly darkened family room was a stranger’s figure.

Her eyes were wide as she looked at the other person.

Black clothes that melted into the darkness, a scarf over the head and a somewhat shady appearance.

“. . .”